The generation of computer are divided into five categories:

1. The first generation (1946-1959)

• The first generation used vacuum tube technology .
• Vacuum tubes were expensive and produced a lot of heat.
• Very expensive and only affordable to large organizations.
• Machine language was the programming language used for these computers
• Examples of the first generation include EDVAC, IBM-650, IBM-701, Manchester Mark 1, Mark 2, etc.

2. The Second Generation (1950-1960)

• These computers replaced vacuum tubes with transistors .
• These computers are smaller, faster and more efficient.
• Transistors were more reliable than vacuum tubes, required less maintenance and generated less heat.
• Magnetic core memory was also introduced in this generation.

3. The third generation (1964 – 1971)

• This generation used microchips or integrated circuits.
• These computers are smaller, cheaper, and much faster computers than second generation computers.
•  New input devices like the mouse and keyboard were introduced, replacing older methods like punch cards.
• New functionalities, like multiprogramming and time-sharing, and remote processing, were introduced, allowing for more efficient use of computer resources.

4. The fourth generation (1972)

• They used Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits.
• Fourth generation computers were more adaptable, had more primary storage capacity, were faster and more reliable than previous generations, and were also portable, small, and required less electricity.
• This generation had the first supercomputers, used complex programming languages like C, C++, DBASE, etc., and could perform many accurate calculations.

5. The fifth generation

• The fifth generation of computers emerged after the fourth generation and is still being developed.
• Computers of fifth generation use artificial intelligence (AI) to perform various tasks.
• These computers use programming languages such as Python, R, C#, Java, etc., as input methods.

  The fifth generation computers employ ULSI technology (Ultra Large Scale Integration), parallel processing, and AI to perform scientific computations and develop AI software.

• They can perform intricate tasks such as image recognition, human speech interpretation, natural language understanding, etc. Examples of fifth generation include laptops, desktops, notebooks, chromebooks, etc.