What instructions must I follow, and what templates must I start with ...
Is
Module::Starter something that will help? (I came across this recently, but have not used it...)
Mac (old and new - do these ship with compilers installed? ...
Macs do not come with compilers installed. However, recent versions (OS X 10.5.x, a.k.a. Leopard, and 10.6.x, a.k.a. Snow Leopard) have the Developer Tools available on the DVD that's in the box. Older versions required downloading from Apple. IMO, it would be safe to assume that someone who can cope with installing a module from CPAN could also cope with installing the Developer Tools. For {,Snow }Leopard, installing the tool kit is possibly easier than installing with cpan, but that's just my $0.02.
