Naits,
MSVC is recommended - from what I've read some code in DX is
VC specific but ... you should be able to get by with Borland.
I'm looking forward to getting more advanced (DX8) books soon, but SAMS "teach yourself DirectX7 in 24 hours" was well worth the investment and this or a similar book is a must if you're gonna program directX.
- TJ