Is anyone really still using langchain? Has it gotten better? Seemed like a token burning platform the last time I used it.

I recently finished a Langgraph class on Deeplearning.ai about a week after it came out. Already then the provided Notebook example didn't work and I needed to debug it to pass. I had great hopes on Langchain in 2024, but their product decisions toward LCEL and the complete lack of a discernible roadmap that does not constantly break things made me move away from them.

I had to look up LCEL: https://python.langchain.com/docs/concepts/lcel/

What the heck? I have no idea what problem this is solving while not also creating new problems.

The worst thing about LCEL is not that it's a different coding pattern. It also creates a major break withing the documentation that can't be fixed as you now have to factor into your search all documentation with and without LCEL.

It's still absolutely fucking terrible - the mongo of the LLM world.