The five generations of computers
The first generation
The first ever computers used vacuum tubes as wires and magnetic drums as memory. They consumed massive amounts of power to use and generated a lot of heat which often resulted malfunctions.
The second generation
Transistors replaced vacuum tubes in circuitry and that lead to the second generations of computers. Although they had vastly improved in the circuitry department they were still massive and needed multiple people to operate.
the third generation
Micro processors were introduced which once again vastly improved the circuitry department. Computers became available to a mass market and multiple applications could now be run on a single device.
The fourth generation
The most rapid changes happened in the fourth generation of computers touch screens were introduced and the Macintosh was developed. 3D computers were made and anyone who owned a computer could create their own application. Most importantly the creation of the internet!
the fifth generation
This generation is the one we currently entering, it focuses mostly on the development of artificial intelligence and the idea of a way to have any computer run an application even if the hardware can't handle it by running it somewhere else on a stronger computer and feeding the information back to the computer your using.