The document discusses different ways to read input in Java programs, including using System.in.read() to read a single character, stream classes which are flexible but complex, and the Scanner class which was added in JDK 1.5 and is easy to use. It provides details on using the Scanner class, noting that an object is created from a source such as the keyboard, file, or network, and methods are used to read the appropriate data type from the source. Common Scanner methods are listed that can read primitive types and strings.