P: starting even with a [my catalog].lrcat.lock-file

[Exciting_warrior1674]

Lightroom Classic 8.4.1 is starting even thou there is a saved [My catalog].lrcat.lock next to [My catalog].lrcat. 

I know the .lock-file is supposed to protect the catalog file from beeing opened by someone else. If a .lock-file with the same name as the catalog file is stored in the same folder, I should have to delete the .lock-file before I can open the catalog file.
Now, I am able to open the catalog file without deleting the .lock-file. I have seen this before, and a few other users have reported the same behavior in a user forum I am hosting in Norway. So I had to test, and I could also see Lightroom opening the catalog file with a .lock-file next to the catalog file.
How can this be? Is it a bug or a non-documented feature?

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Arnold,

A screen capture of your OS file manager showing both the catalog and the lock file would be helpful. Is it possible for you to post this?

[Exciting_warrior1674]

Of course I can post a screenshot, but bravely enough, I doubt it will help. At least, the name is the same. This is from my fully updated W 10 PC. 
This behavior is the same on my Catalina MacBook Pro with Lightrooom 8.4.1

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Thanks - I tested based upon your screenshot and am getting the same behavior. I am going to ping the team and double check this. Thanks for posting. In any case I've logged a bug for the behavior.

[Samoreen]

Hi,

The catalog status control now seems to be made another way :

- When opening the catalog with LR, 2 files are created : <catalog_name>.lrcat.lock and <catalog_name>.lrcat-wal. Both files are deleted when LR exits.

- When opening the catalog with an SQLite manager (SQLite Expert Personal v5 in my case), 2 files are created : <catalog_name>.lrcat-shm and <catalog_name>.lrcat-wal. Both files are deleted when SQLite Expert exits.

Contrary to what happened earlier, I can no longer have the catalog opened in both LR and SQLite Manager simultaneously. So I guess that the lock is now the -wal file.

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

There was a change a while back (couple of years?) to get over lock files being accidentally left behind after a crash.

[Samoreen]

Also, maybe they switched to a new version of SQLite.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

The Team has reviewed and the current behavior is now the as-designed behavior and a change from the past. 

See engineerings' comments: 

"In the Lock file we write both the process name and process ID when we open it with Lightroom.
So just copying the lock file and re-launching Lightroom will not prevent it from opening the catalog as the process ID have changed ( this might not be true some time also )."