How to include external libraries in an open source project?

Question

I created an open source project that runs from Visual Studio. But he also relies on some external libraries. These libraries are also open source. The question that asks me is if I should

• Point users to these libraries and download their source code, and then add them to the project
• Specify users in the dll and access them directly
• Include dll directly in the project
• Include the source code of these libraries directly in the project

What is the best way or standard way to do this?

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You should not provide a source for external libraries unless you change them, in which case you MUST do this. Providing a libarary source simply multiplies the various places from which you can get the source code, and adds confusion about which version you have.

You must, of course, provide links to the library home pages. If you are distributing under the GPL, you should also be prepared to provide the library source directly.