You've probably misunderstood then. It's a somewhat common practice to remove (or not install initially) the C compiler on machines that are exposed to the wild (e.g. on the Internet directly or in a DMZ). In this case you're in the same boat as most Wintendo users in that you don't have a compiler available to install Perl modules with a C component (then again attackers don't have a ready means to compile exploit code on the box either). Granted it's a minor speed bump (especially if you're talking a common platform), but it can be worked around (unfortunately just as easily by both the white and black hats).