The search text input is disabled until the RSS is fetched. So it's because of UI design. If there's an error, the search box will stay disabled. Users are more

The search text input is disabled until the RSS is fetched. So it's because of UI design. If there's an error, the search box will stay disabled. Users are more OK with something being disabled, then something appearing to work, but doesn't. It also makes the search slightly faster.