Troubleshooters.Com^® and Linux Library
Present:

Dmenu Productivity Primer

Dmenu Best Practices details how to deploy dmen for highest possible productivity and minimum surprises, regardless of distro.
Introduction, on this page, is the shortest way I can think of to explain why one might (or might not) care what init system they're using.

Introduction

For the touch-typist or intensive computer user, dmenu is one of the best productivity enhancers ever invented. It enables you to run any executable command on the computer's path, using only a few keystrokes, no need for a mouse, which saves a lot of time over the day.

Some window managers or desktop environments, such as Xfce, have similar tools, but those tools subject you to an annoying latency, sometimes up to a half a second, between hot key and menu exhibition. When configured right, dmenu appears to be instant.

The set of documents in the Dmenu Best Practices subsite shows you how to deal with dmenu in a distro-agnostic way.