Resize image NO PIL!!

[cbmeeks]

I have created an image hosting site and when a user uploads an image,
I want a service to run on the server to create a few thumbnails while
the user does other things.

My stupid host (pair.com) doesn't have PIL installed and I'm too much
of a stupid newbie to figure out how to get it to work with them
(access denied while installing it, of course).

Also, they don't have any python interface setup for GD.

Anyway, I don't know what my options are.  I'm thinking:

1) Find another host with mod_python, PIL, and other Python goodies
2) use PHP to create the thumbnails
3) Open the images into a buffer and try to do the calculations
myself

I'm thinking I might have to go with 1.

I want the script to run as a service so I don't know how well number
2 would work and I certainly don't want number 3 (on a time-line
here).

Any suggestions?

Thanks
cbmeeks
http://www.signaldev.com