easy image format to write loader for?

I've been going through some image format possibilities for my game and I can't decide on a commonly-used image format for my game's data.

Targa is a tried-and-true format but it has a lot of different standard-supported options of storing pixels such that I'd have to write like 8 or 9 functions to load and translate all the different ways a .TGA file's image can be stored.  Not fun.

.jpg and .png are a pain in the butt, even more mathematically annoying with their use of compression and all.  .gif is just not an option.

Buh buh buh... are there no super-simple image formats out there whose header specifications just look like this:

int width
int height
and then an array of guaranteed 24-bit {a,r,g,b} quadruples

>>18
Yes, but if you don't accept some aspects of game design are god damn awfully boring he will never finish. By doing image loading and unloading atleast he can self teach himself in the progress.

Using a library is all and great, even sound librarys. But by using them they force you to re-fracture you code to accept their layout of the library. It being OOP or procedual with some hacked sense of OOP, windows API comes to mind.

Either way, you typicaly find taking a short cut in development cycles only reveals later that you've got to go back and fix the mistake.

its one thing to making progress its a completly different story about making actual progress! Accept the fact that things are difficult, enjoy what you do and focus on the goal and you will be successfull. But telling me you don't want to write a image class, just tells me you will never be successfull in game development.