Separate project for every third party functionality

Arnol, you are dealing with one of the most difficult questions in every large project. There is no general recipe to follow. For each and every project you have to find your own way of handling these things. Here are a couple of consideration for you to ponder:

- A large number components is more difficult to manage than a small one. Less so from a developers standpoint. A good source control system and automatic build environment will help you a lot. But more from a distribution standpoint. The more components can be installed independently at the customer site the more complex version handling and compatibility issues will get.

- There are many ways to organize a component: Collection of source files, object library, dynamic link library, fully independent executable (process), ... Determine in each case what is best for the project, weighing the pros and cons.

- You will need a set of rules how to maintain compatibility between all your components. And the entire team will have to live by those rules. This is sometimes the most difficult part to design and to enforce.

- Some third party components might be available in source code, others only as object library or DLL. How do you intend to do version management in either case. Do these components have their own installers or can they be integrated into your own installation and update framework?

It takes years of experience to handle all those things efficiently and consistently. It is very difficult to give you any more specific advice without knowing more details about your project. But you might benefit from reading some good books about project management and methodology.

Good luck!