Comment 3 for bug 844196

> For example "apt-get download
> --ignore-missing htop ia33-libs" will stop on ia33-libs because the package
> doesn't exist but htop will not be downloaded then too.

Ignore missing applies to packages that fail to download correctly but are otherwise known to apt. The command issued is valid, but would not continue due to transient errors..

In the reported case the package ‘ia33-libs’ is not known to apt, and the command is invalid. That is an entirely different situation than --ignore-missing is intended for and should not be included in its scope. In my opinion apt should not include an option to support such invalid commands, even if the package is only temporarily unknown due to removed sources or e.g. removal from the archive.

It is nonsense to ask the impossible of administrative commands and they should rightly fail.