How do I get details about a package which isn't installed?
Solution 1:
For packages that are in your repositories you can use:
dpkg --print-avail PACKAGE_NAME
or
apt-cache show PACKAGE_NAME
or
aptitude show PACKAGE_NAME
or
apt show PACKAGE_NAME
Solution 2:
The apt-cache show command can be used, instead of dpkg -s. Like this:
apt-cache show PACKAGE
(source)