I know how opening a file affects the exclusivity of access but commonly applications don't seem to keep the file continuously open except during reading or writing. Maybe some Microsoft applications use that pattern extensively but it generally works to save a file in one program and then open it in another program without closing the file in the first program or quitting it.

Nevertheless, this is getting off topic as the thread started with the question of path vs handle access. I still don't see much value in this exclusivity in the latter case because if you have a conflict to begin with it's just a matter of Murphy's for that conflict to manifest in actually losing data.

Even if your editor keeps the file open for the whole day, and you have this second program that is on the trajectory to delete the file it will eventually get to it at a time when the file is not open and thus not protected by the guarantee of exclusive access.