Mixture, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a massive, long list of folders with dated files.
There is
EVERYTHING wrong with "a massive long list of dated folders with dated files".
That approach is a naive and simplistic view of filing from the dark ages of computing. Modern computing and software implementations allow you to do so much more.
I've got thousands of images and I wouldn't dream of being without professional cataloguing software such as Lightroom. The speed at which I can narrow down images, and the number of factors I can use to narrow them down beats your "massive long list of dated folders with dated files" any day of the week !
You won't find a single professional photographer that uses "a massive long list of dated folders with dated files", so I don't see why semi-pros or amateurs should settle for anything other than well-built and robust cataloguing software either.