I've few questions
1)
If I do not have a masternode, does that means i cannot solo mine? Solo mine means without pool, using my own daemon node?
2)
To start RAP pool, one must have a masternode?
3)
from where one can purchase RAP?
Hi! Masternodes aren't required for mining or running a pool. They're a node that is run 24 hours a day and provide additional functionality to the network. For solo mining, you would still want to setup a pool. p2pool works, but you would have to configure it to interface with the Rapture daemon and if you haven't done this before then it might be a bit too complex. It would be far more straightforward (and probably more effective if you're running a single miner rather than a farm) to jump onto an existing pool, check the ANN post for pool listings. We don't have a preferred pool, but if you're mining with a single gpu then look for a pool that already has some hashing power and has recently hashed blocks.
The best exchange option is CryptoBridge:
https://wallet.crypto-bridge.org/market/BRIDGE.RAP_BRIDGE.BTCsouthXchange is another option and they've been reliable. Not currently steering anyone towards stocks.exchange as they've had too many issues across the board.
Also, check some of the posts here by Becca/Rapture and the pages on our website. There are a few ongoing bounties and campaigns that are another good option for getting started with Rapture. Thanks!