[Bug 1598810] [NEW] `apt-get install python3.4` on xenial exits 0 despite python3.4 not being available

[Dan Watkins]

Public bug reported:

As per [0], `apt-get install python3.4` won't raise an error (despite
the package not existing in xenial, and no installation happening), but
`apt-get install not-a-real-package` will.  I would expect the behaviour
to be the same in both cases.

This may cause issues for users upgrading from trusty to xenial.  If
someone is running a Python application that relies on Python 3.4, their
automation may run "apt-get install python3.4" to ensure that Python 3.4
is available, expecting it to raise an error if python3.4 does not end
up installed.  It won't, and they will then unexpectedly be running 3.5.

[0] http://paste.ubuntu.com/18443198/

** Affects: apt (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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Title:
  `apt-get install python3.4` on xenial exits 0 despite python3.4 not
  being available

Status in apt package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  As per [0], `apt-get install python3.4` won't raise an error (despite
  the package not existing in xenial, and no installation happening),
  but `apt-get install not-a-real-package` will.  I would expect the
  behaviour to be the same in both cases.

  This may cause issues for users upgrading from trusty to xenial.  If
  someone is running a Python application that relies on Python 3.4,
  their automation may run "apt-get install python3.4" to ensure that
  Python 3.4 is available, expecting it to raise an error if python3.4
  does not end up installed.  It won't, and they will then unexpectedly
  be running 3.5.

  [0] http://paste.ubuntu.com/18443198/

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