You may know of a few individuals who already knew this, but that doesn't discount the gp's word "typically". Most people don't know about it, period.
For those who do know about it, unless they have taken an Automata or Theory of Computing course, then they have probably still missed the point of this factoid, which is actually the main reason that this theorem is important.
A Finite State Machine is capable of performing many computations, but is limited in processing capability in that it has no memory. A Regular Expression is capable of expressing the exact same computations as the FSM, and is subject to the same constraint as the FSM and therefore the same limitations. (Of course, it is also important to know that the RegEx that is talked about in an Automata class is different from the RegEx that most programmers and SysOps deal with in practice).
The underlying (important) concept is that the process of validating the pattern of characters in any string is simply a proxy for understanding a computational problem. In fact, all computational problems can be represented in this paradigm (the validation of a string of input). Whether or not the machine in question can perform that validation is the purpose of the Automata or Theory of Computing class.
It's not sufficient to say "I know a fact." And simply knowing the fact isn't the point of the class. The reason for the class is to understand why the fact is important to know.
I am specifically asserting that there were people in my college freshman class who had a handle on what the statement meant, its implications, and a whole lot more on formal automata than you've talked about here. Mostly because they had an interest in it before arriving and were exposed to it in some way beforehand, be it through an actual textbook or practical experience. What I'm trying to say is that there is nothing that can only be learned in a class; it just often provides a decent framework for getting a well-rounded exposition to a topic.
For those who do know about it, unless they have taken an Automata or Theory of Computing course, then they have probably still missed the point of this factoid, which is actually the main reason that this theorem is important.
A Finite State Machine is capable of performing many computations, but is limited in processing capability in that it has no memory. A Regular Expression is capable of expressing the exact same computations as the FSM, and is subject to the same constraint as the FSM and therefore the same limitations. (Of course, it is also important to know that the RegEx that is talked about in an Automata class is different from the RegEx that most programmers and SysOps deal with in practice).
The underlying (important) concept is that the process of validating the pattern of characters in any string is simply a proxy for understanding a computational problem. In fact, all computational problems can be represented in this paradigm (the validation of a string of input). Whether or not the machine in question can perform that validation is the purpose of the Automata or Theory of Computing class.
It's not sufficient to say "I know a fact." And simply knowing the fact isn't the point of the class. The reason for the class is to understand why the fact is important to know.