computer science

Rainway

Rainway is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Rainway rather than just read about it. In short: Rainway was a remote desktop video game streaming service for Microsoft Windows. It allowed users to stream locally installed applications to other devices over a WLAN or internet connection.

Key takeaways

Rainway belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Rainway to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Rainway from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Rainway was a remote desktop video game streaming service for Microsoft Windows. It allowed users to stream locally installed applications to other devices over a WLAN or internet connection. The initial beta version launched on January 20, 2018. Version 1.0 of the software launched on January 31, 2019. In April 2021, the company announced a partnership with Microsoft to implement their streaming technology into Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Compatibility Rainway is compatible with games purchased from Steam, Origin, Battle.net, itch.io, GOG.com and Uplay. The service can run in web browsers and is also compatible with iOS and Android mobile phones. The iOS version of the app was limited to only local network streaming, as a result of Apple's attitude towards game streaming apps. Rainway released a client version for Xbox One consoles in January 2020, though it was removed from the store just a month later.

History Rainway was announced in March 2017. The announcement was made on the official website for Ulterius, another streaming service worked on by founder Andrew Sampson which used similar technologies, but focused on desktop remote access rather than game streaming. Rainway did not gain significant attention until April, when it announced its plan to support the then-newly released Nintendo Switch console. During E3 2017, Rainway announced that the Rainway beta would launch on November 25. The release of the beta was later delayed again, to January 20, 2018. In August 2018, Rainway closed its seed round, having raised $1.5 million in seed funding from GoAhead Ventures. The software left beta on January 31, 2019, with the release of version 1.0. Later in 2019, David Perry (former CEO of Gaikai) and Jon Kimmich joined the company's advisory board, as it closed another $3.5 million round of funding. Investors included Bullpen Capital, Madrona Venture Group, GoAhead Ventures, and Bill Mooney. An iOS public beta version was released on September 9, 2019.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Rainway

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Rainway claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Rainway before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Rainway ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Rainway

In research: Rainway appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Rainway in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Rainway is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2018 software, IOS software, Streaming media systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Rainway outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Rainway in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Rainway means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Rainway out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rainway in simple terms?

Rainway was a remote desktop video game streaming service for Microsoft Windows. It allowed users to stream locally installed applications to other devices over a WLAN or internet connection.

Why does Rainway matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Rainway?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Rainway.