Just like to start off saying I HATE THE CURIO SYSTEM. But I can see how it's realistic, there's no way mankind would have advanced an inch if we didn't study and investigate resources and other such things to learn from and apply to new technologies. A basic example would be having a rope, one would more than likely study it to understand how it could be used elsewhere and from there, apply it to your needs through invention. (there's a shitton of things a rope can do for you that making 2,000 of them wont tell you).
IS IT FUN? That depends on the person, so arguing that is just dumb since it's UR OPINION HURHURHUR, etc etc. If you don't like it leave the game alone and never return because despite some huge egotistical opinion, people are going to like things you don't! I don't like it, I'd honestly rather sit for several hours whittling away at wood making forks but that's me and maybe a whole demographic but not the entirety of it.
Overall I haven't played much of Salem beta and I didn't much touch H&H after they added the curio system, so I might as well not know what the hell I'm talking about, so that's my disclaimer. However, I REALLY love wilderness survival crafting games and understand betas are not perfect, so I'll stick around and see if I warm up to these features.