ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Generational list of programming languages

Alright kiddo, have you ever heard of different generations of things? It's like how there are different types of cars, some old and some new. The same goes for programming languages, which are like a set of instructions that tell a computer what to do.

The first generation of programming languages were made in the 1950s and they were just a bunch of ones and zeroes that the computer could understand. This made it hard for people to write programs since they had to be really good at using these number languages.

Then came the second generation of programming languages, which were a little easier for people to use. These were still based on numbers, but instead of ones and zeroes, they used something called assembly language, which was made up of short, easy-to-understand commands.

The third generation of programming languages was developed in the 1960s and 70s, and this is where things got a lot easier for programmers. These languages used words and symbols instead of numbers and made it easier to write complicated programs. Examples of third-generation languages include C, Fortran, and COBOL.

Fourth generation programming languages arrived in the 1980s and were built to make it even easier for people to write programs without having to learn too much about the technical details. These languages were often used for database management, and some examples include SQL and Visual Basic.

Finally, we have the fifth generation programming languages, which are still being developed today. These languages use artificial intelligence and other advanced techniques to make programming even easier and more powerful. Some examples of fifth-generation languages include Prolog and Haskell.

So there you have it, kiddo. Different generations of programming languages are like different types of cars, each one getting better and easier to use than the last.