I agree. If you're unable to get the "no writing files" restriction relaxed, find a different, less restrictive environment.

If you're in some sort of "free" environment, calculate the amount of time you're going to have to spend to get around that environment's restrictions, then put a reasonable dollar value on an hour of your time, and multiply. Unless you place a low value on an hour of your time, free-but-restrictive can quickly become less of a good deal.